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Does anyone know the process for getting a green card to work in the USA. I have a B1B2 but that does not allow work inside the states.
Can you apply for a green card from outside then go there looking for work?

Does anyone know the process for getting a green card to work in the USA. I have a B1B2 but that does not allow work inside the states.
Can you apply for a green card from outside then go there looking for work?

Best you start with the real official information rather than what a bunch of people on the internet think:http://www.uscis.gov

For a yachtie the most likely way you're gonna get a green card is to get married to a US citizen and apply or to win the green card lottery.

Does anyone know the process for getting a green card to work in the
USA. I have a B1B2 but that does not allow work inside the states.
Can you apply for a green card from outside then go there looking for
work?

Reply to above:There are numerous routes to get a green card , however the process takes anywhere from 5 to 10 years , unless you win one in the Green Card lottery.The quickest route is to get married - One gets a temporary green card with in 3 months. You still then need to spend a certain number of days in the U.S. for them not to revoke the Temporary or even the Perminent Green Card , which they issue after about 2 years.

FYI- One can legally work on certain U.S. Flagged vessels , as a foreigner on a B1/B2 Visa.The vessel could be flying a U.S. Flag , however , if its home port and mailing address are in a foreign country , you can legally work as crew on the vessel.There is a very tiny clause in the immigration laws , which most immigration officers are NOT aware of.

I have a copy of it somewhere.

I learned this after meeting a R.S.A. crew member , on a B1/B2 visa, who was working full time on a U.S. Flag vessel that was docked in Fort Lauderdale and traveled U.S. waters all year long.Although the vessel was registered in the U.S. and flew a U.S. Flag , its mailing address and home port were listed as Cape Town.

hey Pal, the only way your going to get a green card is get married or win the lottery. the process alone takes months and to actually get the green card can take years, and whilste being processed you must remain in the US, the only way to travel is to apply for a re-entry permit which can take up to 3 months to recieve, It's very complicated and it's the burden of the applicant, so if you screw up, there is no mercy.The green card will not do you much good,unless you have a degree and can get a well paid job and then you must pay taxes, alot of them, and the green card does have it's restrictions, such as being out of the country for more than 6 months out of the year. They can givith and take it away. I can go on all day with this subject.Good luck

Best advice I can give you is see an immigration attorney, take an open check book and find an american willing to marry you for a fee, because if your struggling to find a job on a foreign flagged yacht I seriously doubt you have skills that America needs.

The long and short of this is you can not work or leave the US while your permanent resident application is being processed. I know this because I have a green card through marriage and can tell you the process is expensive, time-consuming and does not allow you to leave the country [United States], unless you have a very good reason and are willing to apply for parole and complicate your residency application. Once in the system and an American resident and you can not float between countries and dodge tax. To maintain my US residency I must adhere to certain guidelines and am unable become a permanent resident of another country. I must pay tax, Medicare and Social Security all of which I gladly do because America is my home country and there are many benefits to paying tax. I never intended to become an American, it just happened. My wife and I met on the yacht and had our 1st child in Australia and after a couple of years I decided to get back onto boats and this made it virtually impossible for me to become an American resident because I was coming in and out of the country, so when I had enough money I got an attorney and flew back int the US and began the process which took approximately 6 months and meant I could not work or leave the US once I was being processed. Trying to get a green card [permanent residency in the United States] without being married to a citizen is extremely difficult, you need some kind of skill or qualification that is needed in the United States and you will also require a sponsor [employer and/or spouse that is an American citizen]. It is absolutely pointless going for a green card if you have no intention to become an American and the sooner people realize that it is not appropriate or advisable to apply for residency in another country on a whim the better.